Writers look at the world in a different way than non-writers do. If
an idea takes their fancy, it inevitably turns into some written
form. It's not enough to simply tell it--one's fingers itch to caress
that computer keyboard--or grab a loose sheet of paper and a pencil.
My own tendencies are to express myself by way of a memoir, an essay,
or an oped. Even what starts out as an informational piece frequently works
itself into an oped. But that's okay. I've converted it from the intangible
to the tangible. It's been conceived, mixed, and baked--the cake.
The frosting comes when I sell it.

The name of the column I wrote for the Metropolitan Observer in Richmond,
Virginia, was "On the Soapbox" and I still like that concept. Someone standing
up to be counted--to express a viewpoint--willing to risk the possible
negative opinions of those who disagree with a stance. Being a liberal
in the south wasn't always easy - people would say they liked how
I wrote, but sometimes didn't like what I wrote.

For a daily like the Philadelphia Inquirer and dailies in other
cities, the headings under which my freelance pieces have appeared
have usually been "Commentary" or "Oped" or "Life Style." . My subjects
vary. Sometimes purely serious, sometimes serious but told with tongue-in-cheek,
sometimes historical with a modern twist, and sometimes lighthearted fare
that strikes some universal chord.